Continuing from a previous post, T.H. Bell writes: *Keys to Attaining Excellence,
There are certain universal laws that surround all of us in our lives. If we break those laws, we must pay a price. When we meet the terms of the laws of the universe, we find the joy of accomplishment. Sometimes we deny our children character-building experiences because we love their smiles and we have understandable parental empathy for their discouragement and pain. There should be no pain for the sake of experiencing it simply in the name of character development. But there must also not be an artificial environment established by doting parents who shield their children from normal pressures, disappointments and defeats. If excellence in our lives means to perform at the outer limits of our ability, we must constantly test those limits for our children as well as for ourselves.
When we commit ourselves to attaining excellence in our lives, we have goals to reach, obstacles to surmount, and time-phased action steps to be executed. Living is purposeful. As our minds run over the immediate past, we feel fulfillment and satisfaction in contemplating what we have done and where we have come over the last few weeks and months. Certain milestones loom before us. We remember unexpected troubles and reversals. We recall how we adjusted our aim, revised our plan, and adopted new strategy to meet an adversarial situation.
All this is to living what salt, pepper, and seasoning is to food. It adds flavor and interest to our days. We meet the challenges, beat down the obstacles, and stand ultimately upon a summit where we can survey our newly won terrain. This all enriches the soul. We are stronger and better and healthier in out look, spirit, and body from the pursuit.
In our families, there must be a sharing of the richness of the quest for excellence. Every member must feel the momentum of the onward march and upward climb. This develops talent. In the process of this development we must transform ourselves into something greater, bigger, and stronger than we were. If parents fail to share this quest, they may develop themselves but deny the same to their children.
Whatever else we do with our lives, we should share our failures as well as our successes. When we fall short, there must be assessment. If this process is open to all who know us and have some stake in the positive and negative aspects of the situation, learning will lead to new aims and a reveal of resolve. Too many tend to cover up and downplay failure. We do this with our associates in our work, we do it with members of our families. But children learn to grow from failure if they are given a chance to see it is for all of us. Failures can be teaching opportunities. They can be goal-setting, purpose-revising experiences, if they are taken as they should be and there is healthy curiosity about roots and causes.
We are all aware of the dangers of setting unrealistic, unattainable goals. We know that we can be too impatient and anxious about accomplishment. Dread of failure and shame about mistakes, neglect, and lack of preparation can lead to blame fixing, disharmony, and strife. But heroism can emerge from having failed. This is particularly true if failure is followed by careful planning, analysis of difficulties and subsequent success. The new trial is appreciated all the more. The lessons learned are the most precious of all. Failures can help to shape excellence in our lives, if we turn the sour taste of lemons into lemonade as we come back from defeat.
Preparation, as we all know, is the key element to success. Most failures result from lack of preparation. We all have situations where we have failed to prepare and lived to regret it. Much of the misery of the world comes from poor preparation and ignorance.
Our fast paced society seems to discourage preparation. We see advertisements and we read articles in the press and in books that emphasize the easy, effortless path to attaining what we want. We see instant success portrayed in movies and on television. There are, indeed, some shortcuts and some approaches to old tasks that we should master, but we must beware of simplistic solutions and quick cures and remedies.
Preparation for life’s challenges is a critical ingredient to attaining excellence. To live the best life and to attain the utmost from each day, month, and year of our lives, we must understand the need to prepare ourselves adequately.
It is hard to have a buoyant spirit in a tired, unhealthy, poorly conditioned body. We cannot perform at our best and to the full outer limits of our capacity unless we are physically fit, well nourished, and strong. Preparation begins with our physical bodies. Daily exercise, adequate rest, and building of organic vigor in our bodies can make intellectual and spiritual pursuits more attainable. All of this requires intelligent understanding of ourselves and wise use of professional services of those who help us to attain and preserve our health.
In today’s world, the mind must be fully nurtured and constantly educated. It takes many years to become educated. It requires a lifetime of learning to master a profession or skill and to keep current and abreast of the emerging new knowledge and technological developments.
Youths who fail to avail of our nation’s many wonderful education facilities cut short their potential and forfeit their opportunity to take control of their own lives. Parents who aspire for the richest opportunities for their children must realize that education is the golden key to the door of excellence.
Excellence, multiple authors. . .This selection from T.H. Bell, (Salt Lake City, ©1984 Deseret Book Company) p.3-6 ~. . . continued
